Feed-water regulator.



H. EVANS.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED Nov.so,19o8.

'Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

HVVEIVTORa WITNESS- FS QAM, .W

HARRY EIANS, F BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.- 24, 1909.

Application led November 30, 1908. Serial No. 465,958.

v 1l o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY EvANs, citizen of the United States, andresident of Bryn Mawr5 Montgomery county, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tater-Feed Regulatorsfor Steam-Boilers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to water feed regulators for steam boilers.

The object of the invention is to provide a ,clair-ned.. s

In the drawings Figure 1 is an end View of a, steam boiler having myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vert-ical section enlarged of thevalve for controlling the feed water pipe and .parts directly connectedtherewith. Fig. 3 is a detail 4in section asl on the line :c-'of F ig.2.

2 designates a steam boiler, and 3 a feed water pipe leading to theupper portion of the boiler.

4 is a water gage tube of usual and well known construction. The upperend of the water gage tube 4 is connected to the upper portion of theboiler 2 by a pipe 5, and the ower end ofthe tube 4 is connected to thelower portion of the boiler by a pipe l6. Thus the tube 4 will alwaysindicate the level of the water within the boiler'in the usunl manner.

T he feed pipe 3 has inclined therein a valve casing 7 within which 'isarranged a valve 8 adapted to a seat 9, for o ening and closing thepassageway throng the feed pipe 3 and regulating the feed of water tothe boiler 2. The valve casing 7 is provided with a head 10 through'which the 'stem 11 of the valve 8 projects from the interior of thecasing. Fixed to the outer or upper end of the valve stem 11 is a head12 on the lower end of an expansion tube 13, the upper end 'of which isprovided with a head 14. The tube 13 is in line with the stem 11 andforms in effect a continuation thereof.

f Projecting laterally from t-he valve casing 7 are arms 15 to which,are secured the lower ends of vertical rods 16 extending parallel to thetube 13, one rod 16 being arranged on one side of the tube and the'other ride 1G being arranged on the other side of the tube. The upperportion of the expansion tube 13 has fixed thereto a cross bar 17, whicheX- tends between the rods 1G, the ends of the bar 17 being providedwith openings therein through which the rods 16 extend.

Encircling the rods 16 directly below the bar 17 are springs 18, thelower ends of which bear against nuts 19 on the rods 16,

and the upper ends of which bear againstv the bottoni of the bar 17,thus forcing the bar 17 and therewith the tube 13 and valve stem 11upwardly in a manner to seat the valve 8. I V

Extending between the upper ends of the rods 16 and secured theretoabove the bar 17 is a bar v20, which is provided with avertically-arranged adjustable screw 21, which is adapted to engage saidhead to limit the upward movement of the eX- pansion tube 13. Byadjusting the screw 21 the extent of the upward movement of theexpansion tube 13 vmay be nicely regulated.

yLeading from the head 14 onthe upper end of the expansion tube 13, is apipe 22 which is connected to the water gage tube 4' 'on the horizontalplane at which it is de# sired to maintain the water level within theboiler 2, the pipe 22 establishing communication between the upper endof the expansion tube 13 and the water gage tube 4. The head 12 on thelower end of the expansion tube 13yis connected by apipe 23 to the pipe6 leading to the lower end of the water gage tube 4 and also to thelower portion of the boiler 2. A Thus communication is establishedbetween the lower end of the expansion tube 13, the lower `portion ofthe boiler 2, and the lower end of the water gage tube 4.

It is sometimes desirable to open the valve 8 by hand, for variouspurposes, and in order to do this I provide one rod 16 with a collar 25adjacent the upperend ofthe errpansion tube 13, and pivot to this-collar.25 one end of an arm 26 whichV extends over the head 14 and has securedto its free end the upper end of a depending cord or rod 27 the lowerend of which is provided with a ring 28. The arm 26 extends over thehead 14 and into engagement therewith, whereby, when the rod or cord 27is pulled downwardly by hand, the arm 26 will engage the head 14 anddepress the expansion tube 13 and therewith the stem 11, in a manner tounseat the valve 8. 'llhe rod or cord 27 may extend to any convenientposition to be operated by hand.

As previously stated, the plane on which the pipe 22 is connected to thewater gage tube 4 is the plane at which the water level within theboiler is desired to be maintained. Therefore, when the desired waterlevel is within the boiler, the parts are in the normal position shownin the drawings; that is to say, the valve 8 is closed to prevent waterbeing 'supplied to the boiler through the pipe 3, and the lower portionof the water gage tube 4, the expansion tube 13, and the pipes 6, 22,and 23 are filled with water; while the upper portion of the water gagetube 4, and the pipe 5 connected with the upper portion of the boiler 2,are fil-led with steam.

and' 6 into the boiler 2.

When the water level within the boiler 2 falls below the desired plane;that is to say, below the point of communication between the pipe 22and` water gage 4; steam will enter the pipe 22 and force the water fromthe expansion tube 13 through the pipes 23 The heat of the` steam thusfilling the expansion tube 13 causes it to expand or elongate. Duringthe expansion 'of the tube 13 its upper end engages the adjustable screw21 to prevent its upward movement, and therefore causes it to expanddownwardly and carry with it the valve stemv 11 in a manner to unseatVthe valve 8 and permit the supply of feed water through the pipe 3` tothe boiler 2. The valve 8 now remains open to permit the supply of waterto the boiler 2 until the water therein again reaches the desiredAlevel, at which point it closes communication between the pi e 22 andthe water gage 4, thus cutting og the supply of steam from the boiler 2through the pipe 22 to the expansion tube 13. The steam within the pipe22 and expansion `tube 13 now condenses, thus causing the water to iowinto and fill said tube and pipe. Thisv causes the expansion tube 13l tocool and contract in a manner to raise the stem 11 and close the valve8, the springs 18 4compensating for the difference between the degree ofcontraction of the tube 13 and the movement of the valve 8 to its seat.I claim Y 1. The combination of a |boiler', a water feed pipecommunicatino therewith, a valve casing included in said fPeed pipe, avalve in eoy feed pipe communicating therewith, a valve casing includedin said feed pipe, a valve in said casing controlling said pipe, a stemprojecting from said valve, an expansion tube connected to said stem,yielding means for forcing said stem and tube outwardly, and means tolimit the outward movement of the stem and tube.

3. The combination of a boiler, a water feed pipe communicatingtherewith, a valve casing included in said feed pipe, a valve in saidcasing controlling said pipe,'a stem projecting from said valve, anexpansion tube connected to said stem, a pair of fixed rods, a cross barextending between said rods and fixed to said tube, springs acting uponsaid bar and forcing said stem and tube outwardly, and means to limitthe outward movement of said stem and tube.

4t. fl`he combination of a boiler, a water feed pipe communicatingtherewith, a valve casing included in said feed pi e, a valve in saidcasing controlling said pipe, a stem projecting from said valve, anexpansion 'tube connected to said stem, a pair of fixed rods, a crossbar extending rbetween said rods and fixed to said tube, springs actmgupon said bar'and forcing said stem and tubeoutwardly, a cross bar.fixed -to said rods, and an adjustable screw carried by the last namedbar for limiting the` outward movement of said stem and tube. j

5. The combination of a boiler, a water feed pipe communicatingtherewith, a valve casing included in said feed pipe, a valve in saidcasing controlling said pipe, a stem projecting from said valve, anexpansion tube connected to said stem, yielding means for forcin saidstem and tube outwardly, means to limit the'outward movement of the stemand tube, and a hand-operated lever positioned to engage the expanslontube and force said tube and said stem 'inwardly against the action ofsaid yielding means.

ln testimony whereof, li have hereunto affixed my signature.

HARRY EVANS.

Witnesses:

S. l. HARPER, A. V. GROUPE.

